OFF-LIMITS:

dairy products

animal products

between meal snacks

fruit juice, dried fruits

salt, sugar

NUTS and RAW SEEDS, but not ground flax, are optional for obese or overweight persons while they follow this weight loss plan. People who have difficulty losing weight may also eliminate the starchy vegetable/grain.

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2,097 Responses to “Eat to Live 6-Week Plan”

One more thing: I mentioned that I use protein powder sometimes. Let me explain why and what kind. I have a kidney stone problem so I cannot eat beans of any kind and or several other important things on this diet. I found an all plant based unsweetened powder “Life’s Basic”
It has no sweetener at all.
I just received an email from Dr. Fuhrman, coincidence ? and he talks about protein powder he does not like them but says if we have to the plant based one is fine:

He says: For those that insist on using isolated protein powders, hemp, rice and pea proteins are better choices than soy protein, since their amino acid profiles are not as close to that of animal protein.

Mine has: Pea, Hemp, Rice and Chia seeds. Which is what he is saying is passable.

Melynda…I make a banana smoothie every morning, I use one soaked date. One banana lots of ice and water, with about 2 tablespoons Flax seeds.
I sometimes put in some romaine if I am not going to have a big salad that day. I do use some plant based unsweetened protein powder, (NO sweetener at all)
Lunch is a huge salad of romaine lettuce, and any and all of the following, tomato, cucumber, fresh zucchini, mushroom, red peppers and just about anything I have in the fridge, plus up to one cup beans.

My evening meal is steamed veggies, onions, peas, beans, a touch of corn (not much just for some crunch) Brussels sprouts, broccoli etc. anything you like. Mix it up

I get my fruit in the morning smoothie or after lunch and dinner, I love mangos, bananas, peaches watermelon is great.. What ever you like.

I asked him on his website how to lose if you had thyroid and he said if this does not work as is then I would have to go below 1000 cals.

I went off the diet for a few months do to problems with my jaw, I just went back yesterday and I already lost 1+1/4 lbs. it is very doable.

I gained weight when I got thyroid 25 lbs. I was always skinny all my life, I tried to diet for 10 years and nothing, I went on E2L diet and lost the whole 25 lbs. in less than 2 months.
I looked great and felt great….. the thyroid is almost gone, I have lupus and it is almost gone I hardly know I have either one. I have or should say OI had COPD, something the say you never get over.. I did on this diet. I no longer lose my breath when I walk, I just walked 2.5 miles today and I feel wonderful.
I get upset when people complain how restrictive this is, well how restrictive is it going to be when you are on a hospital bed??? I do the 6 week challenge all the time…Because of the thyroid, when I get back down to my normal weight then I will go to the maintenance diet.
Good luck it is doable with thyroid….

lol I thought maybe I was missing out on something that tastes good! I am so out of the electronic scene as I just learned from my grandchildren how to text lol. I have to say you are very supportive and informative for all of us Thanks

Welcome to everyone that’s new!!
@holly4five – There are specific additions for nursing moms on Dr. Furhmans website that would be a great resource for you. Also, I believe in the book there is a section too. You’ll enjoy the food journey! Be kind to yourself in the beginning & thru detox.

FYI- I finely chopped celery, purple onion & red grapes on top of mixed greens and it was really good & a change of pace. Topped it w/ hummus & a few walnuts.

Hello eveyone! I am wanting to make a change to get my life, and health in order so I have stumbled upon this eat to live plan and believe Its a good fit for me…. however i have a question can someone breastfeeding do this? I see that 1 seving of soy or silk milk is okay but as far as breastfeeding a child I dont think that is enough. I was thinking maybe follow the plan as outlined but adding an additional serving of milk.. any suggestions greatly appreciated!!!! 🙂

Thanks Rosemary I did run out of raw nuts and had an ounce of salted mixed nuts from my husbands stash but I think it may have alot to do with the body changing that is going on due to menopause cause even my mood is off. One thing about this program the elimination is right on something I struggled with all my life. I think it has something to do with the kale drink I make every day. It is so nice that everyone is so supportive on this site. Thanks everyone

I used to juice, it I ok but you lose all your fiber that way and the calories are concentrated.
You can get carried away and gain weight I did.
What I do is make a nice soup of the veggies you are to cook and add the beans to that.

Make enough for a few days and it is a time saver.

I lost23 very stubborn pounds due to my thyroid. Do not give up just try it what do you have to loose? Pun intended…

Not sure what happened to me as I did not change one thing and when I got on my scales this morning I am up 2 pounds. But the good thing is I did not let it upset me as it normally would. I know I am feeling so much better but it is difficult to see the pounds going up when I am so careful in what I am eating. tomorrow is another day.

I have been reading the blog and love it. Hubby and I are embarking on the ETL diet but I’m overwhelmed. We eat fruits and veges already and I’m concerned that we won’t be able to eat ALL that we need to. I have seen on other sites where people juice a meal. Other than carrot and celery juices in soups and stews, does anyone juice and what are your suggestions?

So much easier to write when I access the website from my computer. 80 wpm vs one finger on a cell phone Duh!

I’m gradually getting back in the groove after china. Food still tastes bland…will have to keep avoiding salt to get my taste buds to appreciate foods again.

Lulu asked about BBQ. Of course you can have home made bean burgers, or grilled veggies…you could skewer the veggies with some fruit in between for a vegetarian K-bob (mushrooms, anyone? I use Braggs Amino spray on them). Some of my family appreciate a big portabella mushroom (marinated first) and grilled…has more firmness like a meat. A big ole pot of beans, like vegan “baked” beans are reminiscent of BBQ meals. And what about having something in a whole wheat pita or corn tortilla on rare occasions?

Kristi T mentioned that “plant based” seems to get better reactions than “vegan.” I’ll have to try it. Vegan has so many interpretations…assumptions about how you feel about animal treatment, honey bees, and leather. And people say they or someone they knew tried Vegan and never lost any weight…hard to explain to people that ETL is more than vegan, no SOS (salt oil sugar), and no oily dressings, no vegan meat substitutes (as we normally like to make our own to avoid the additives and salt, oil, sugar). And way more vegetables in a day than I used to eat in a week! (At least it seems that way especially if you don’t count salad…I was pretty good with salad, but the dark leafys, cruciferous, and etc. Not very many before E2L)

I was at an event Saturday night in a very nice black knit short sleeved dress, form fitting in a size 4. I got a lot of nice complements. I said you too can have this body if you eat like I do LOL. I still can’t believe that I can be full after meals and not gain weight. In fact at this point I am going to ask my doctor about maybe gaining a little. I’m 5’2 and 104# and was formerly 125 # at my lowest (adult weight) and thought I looked fine.

Two weeks to go for my next A1c. I’m going to really try to eat lean and clean, and hope the 3 weeks of Chinese food doesn’t mess up my numbers.

Someone asked what we eat on E2L, and I recall a question about Off Program food……Maple Syrup. I would consider syrup of any kind a sugar and avoid it personally, but I have not referenced this to a Dr Fuhrman statement.

O.K. Here’s my dinner tonight. My husband is sick and sleeping and just wanted a SAD breakfast food for dinner, and I didn’t feel like being elaborate in the kitchen, so I just started a pot with about 1/4 inch of hot water in it. Peeled, chopped and threw in 1/3 of a large sweet potato, and while that continued to cook, chopped up prewashed veggies in order of how long they cook, and added as I went along: carrots, brocolli, green onions, 1/2 cup of precooked pinto beans (no flavoring), celery, red bell pepper, and lastly 2 cups of prewashed spinach. Let it brew while I emptied the DW and poured it in a shallow bowl with 1/2 cut up orange and 1/2 cup up avacado. I’m only half way through it and I’m feeling full already.

Breakfast can be a smoothie or oatmeal with fruit and flaxseed meal, or fruit with a little oatmeal (1/4 cup) over it…sprinkle with cinnamon and some chopped nuts and microwave until soft…sort of like a fruit cobbler. Lunches are usually a big salad with beans, but sometimes I make wraps with lettuce or other big leaf filled with beans and or rice, some veggies and avacado.

I’ve made my own hummus, beans from scratch…loving the pressure cooker..home made soup. I think it is really important to change it up if you are getting bored or tired of what you are eating.

I personally do not spend a lot of time on recipes.

I believe that retraining your taste buds is essential. Do not experiment with salty, oily, sugary foods or even sugar substitutes. You will never get to the point of enjoying the full flavor of foods just plain. (Well my opinion, of course, everyone has their own personal journey).

I also try to convince myself to eat the veggies first if I’m hungry enough to be craving something that is not as nutritious. If I fill up on something other than veggies, I can’t get in my full day’s worth of them.

And another hint that works really well for me is to buy a week’s worth of veggies and fruit, and then wash and prepare 1/2 of it, so I don’t have to prep every meal. Once a week I make something in the pressure cooker to use some and freeze some. I have a supply of home made veggie broth in the freezer as well. My husband does not eat vegan, so I buy things he was used to having as entrees and for breakfasts and dinners. Its not that hard to cook for both of us at dinnertime. He usually just makes his own breakfast and lunch. (We are 71 and “retired.”)

Hope these suggestions help some of you who are starting out…keep as close to the 6 week plan as you can. (Some people advocate taking baby steps, I’m a jump in feet first kind of gal.)

I’m really proud of my commitment and the results I have had so far. Why would I want to go back to struggling with food cravings and weight gain?

Am starting the 6 weeks as of tomorrow. Am 37 yr old male 5’10 and sitting at 200 lbs. need to make a change. Need to dump 20-30 lbs. Will be a test of my will power but i think i will be ok. Also will be more strict on wy workouts. Any advise on getting thru the first few day? I think after the first week i should be alright. Right now the only things i’ll miss are salt and cheese. But anyway just wanted to dip my toes in the water here and welcome any advise or insight. Thanks

Michelle, I had the same problem. I Just can tell you I was a vegan but O felt so hungry on this. But keep on doing it, you will see progress soon I promise you.
DO NOT GIVE UP Please. you will be rewarded.

My husband worked nights for years he ate the same meals as we did basically pretended he did not work. For instance breakfast was in the morning when he got home and lunch was around noon and he would sleep and when he woke up he ate dinner then went to work. He tried to stay on our schedule as much as possible to take the burden off me. That is as close as I could get, it was a long time ago. Doing it this way does not upset your body clock if you go on vacation and or stay home on weekends. I hope this helps. I all the old timers told him to do it this way.

Thank you MichelleR, I think I’ll eat more beans. The dinner of today (I write from Italy) was lentil burgers, salad with iceber lettuce, apple and olives, with a vinairette made of soy yogurt, and baked veggies. I feel good enough.

i have just purchase the book and i a very encouraged .
i wonder though is anyone on the plan while working a night schedule. I hardly snack while im at work at night but by he mroning i am starving then i go to bed . Does anyopne have any suggestions.

Hi Valentina ~ are you eating both raw & cooked veggies? what about beans? that would ‘fill’ you up and eliminate (pun intended!!) the drying of your stomach etc. What about fruits? that also would add a filling element to your foods. Hope that helps some … not sure if it does?

Hi, I have a question. I’m already vegan so it’s not difficult to me to eat only vegetables. The hardest part is that I feel like I’m just drinking instead of eat! I explain it better: after I eat my veggies, without bread or pasta with them, I’m not satisfied, I feel myself full of water and need to eat some carb to “dry” my stomach. Any suggestion?

Hi gang glad to hear everyone is staying on track. I am just wondering if anyone has experienced an acid feeling in the back of their throat. This is new and it started about a week ago. Before going on ETL I use to get it after drinking coffee but now that I have not had any for 8 weeks I am not sure what is the problem. I basically eat the same thing everyday and so it is not a diet change. Hubby thinks it is my ph level maybe off. If I chew gum it disappears instantly. Any ideas?

Still struggling with jet lag. Being too tired definitely causes food cravings, but I’m doing my best. Had brown rice and asparagus for breakfast. Need to go to the grocery store. Feel too tired to deal with washing lettuce, not a good sign.

These have been my first few days with time to breathe and think wih helps me check in a bit more frequesntly, next week I will be back to chaos.

Michelle, THANK YOU. It is great seeing you guide other people. I hope your doing swell!

Super granny, your 3 weeks sounded like my previous week. Oh, dear. It was filled with many sad foods, and as you admitted, the taste of chinese food and mexican, as well as home made baked goods were so yummy, I felt guilty for even calling it so!

I have been back on track after sad week. Anyone else finding BBQ season a bit hard to manage! I am a BIG meat fan especially in the summer. Steaks, burgers, hot dogs, ugh, you name it! I hope my friends bridal shower next week isn’t too chaotic, I feel so much better when I am eating right, though I sometimes enjoy the sad foods. I don’t want to back track and remember the unhealthy stuff. ISn’t it crazy that after next month it will have been 6 months on ETL! I have also been enjoying jogging now. I hope what I am eating will be good enough for protein and nutrient levels. I don’t want to loose muscle and fat!

Super Granny ~ what a trip & experience!! I’m sure you’ll jump right back into ETL plan. I also am sure there is so much more about this trip that you aren’t telling us. I’m sure it was a lifetime experience!! and your photos must be awesome. Wow!! So happy for you … and so glad to hear from you too!!
Learning & Living ETL daily, m

I’m back from 3 weeks in China and Tibet. I’d love to respond to each of your posts, but I simpy can’t with all the laundry and back up of mail and e-mail to conquer.

Welcome to all the new people, and congratulations to those who reported their success. The weight will continue to come off if you continue the 6 week plan. No two people have the same rate of loss. I was happy to find out that I was losing fat not muscle. The trainer at our local fitness club used a scales that was a bioimpediment (sp?) type, that gives more data than just your weight. Also if you have been exercising more and using weights in your routine, you may lose slower because you are gaining muscle which weighs more than fat, but is leaner (you know lean meat?) So take measurements too. There are so many measures of success. This is a healthy plan, not just another diet.

O.K., so stop here if you don’t want to read about my food challenges on my trip.

3 weeks is a long time to face the same foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The cuisine was very salty, and was meat based. The restaurant would serve our group on a large round table (or 2 or three), and bring out one dish at a time…the first 4 or 5 dishes were meat something. Yak, chicken feet, pork, then there would be some vegetable dishes, but they were always tossed in butter (or oil) and salt. The one time I got to talk to a chef and ordered boiled veggies, they came oily and salted.

I was existing on white rice, salty greens, rice noodles. No fresh fruit or veggies as I have been sick on overseas trips before, so I only eat what is truly hot, hot enough to sterilize the food. The first day that I got sick, I think it was from the spinach that was on top of a dish of boiled soup…it wasn’t really cooked down…it had been laid on top of the steaming soup. The second time I got sick (diahrrea both times, sorry if tmi), I’m not sure what it was. I never brushed my teeth in tap water, or drank anything that I did not personally open the bottle myself.

I had some nuts, some diabetic nutrition bars my husband bought for me, and some dates to augment my meals. We were above 10,000 feet, so I drank lots and lots of water.

About 5 days before the end of the trip, I just came to a halt. I couldn’t face any more rice, noodles, greasy veggies, and picking out veggies and peanuts from meat dishes. I had been breaking enough E2L rules all along as it was. Another problem was that the cuisine had way to much hot spice for me and several of the other clients. So that limited my choices until near the end I finally told the guide to tell the cook “no hot spices.” Just saying mild or low spice was not working.

So as not to lose weight, I started eating SAD food: toast with jam, even eggs (boy did they taste wonderful). No way was I getting enough greens to supply me with protein. I indulged in a few frozen desserts, and something I never eat even on my former diet, pizza…yes, I ate pizza with white flour crust, red sauce, pineapple and gooy cheese. That tasted great too. (True confessions)

The airplane food was awful. Again, all I could eat was rice, overdone veggies, and a few mushrooms. I even strayed so far as to eat some cookies from the airplane lounge. Food/love, Food/mood, is so strong, isn’t it.

So I’m home now, and I have gone back to the E2L formula. I am going to have to wean myself off of salt again…boy does the food I’m eating taste like it needs salt after 3 weeks of soy sauce and Asian flavorings.

I have my 3 month A1c test in two weeks, so I’m hoping my digressions from Vegan do not impact the results negatively.

Other than the food, we had an amazing trip, going by motorcycle in Tibet from Lhasa to the base camp of Everest. We were there on a clear day and have great photos of the mountain. (I ride on the back, not drive) Our two sons and their wives came also. The entire group was about 15 people. Some of the days were quite long and dinners were late for me, 7:30 or 8 p.m. and even later on a couple of the days. One hotel only had power from 7 p.m. to midnight. Most hotels didn’t have heat in the rooms.

We saw the countryside, the people, the various means of travel (horse, yak, tractor, bike, motorbike, motorscooter, bus, walking, tuk tuk, etc.) Many fields being worked by hand labor, temples and monasteries, and the palace of the Dalai Lama (of course not being used for that purpose any more), many many Chinese troops and huge transport trucks, a lot of buildings going up, police checkpoints at least 2-3 times a day. Very interesting trip.

I’m really enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables and made a huge pot of pinto beans in the pressure cooker. Soon those off plan foods will be a distant memory. I’ve been on E2L since December 19.

Lulu,, I didn’t mean to scare you but just give a warning to not overdo the items on the list. When I say O over did it I meant that I ate 1/2 to 1 lb. of spinach a week then went on to h=eat lots of other items on the list, then I did not drink as much water as I was supposed to.
My doctor told me if I just increase my water it would not get bigger he was wrong, it got bigger so I stopped eating the bad ones on this list and it did stop growing. My doctor wants to do what they call is zapping with a funny name, it is very expensive and does not work as well as you might like.
You see someone warned me about eating to mush spinach and I did not listen so I am giving a friendly warning to anyone who will listen. I would hate for anyone to suffer from stones like I did. If you just eat normal servings of the things on the list you will be fine along with enough water to flush out the oxalates particles from your body. I am sorry if it upset you.
I meant well

Rosemarie, that is quite scary! I mean I don’t eat too much of any of the list but I definitely do eat a lot of them in quantity. I wonder if that could still cause problems?

ETLers I havent posted in a while but I hope your all doing fabulous. I am officially a week or so into month 5. Lost about 47 pounds=)
Doing pretty well up untill celebration week… we had a huge memorial day party and I have attended 5 grad parties. I was not on program for a week an a half. Not sure how badly my weight loss was effected but now that everyone is finished celebrating Till end of June I am back on track. I am excited and missed knowing and feeling good about my choices. We are having a family cruise July 15th. So I will do my best to stay on track till then, and hopefully learn to make better choices.

I would hope to do well. I have been feeling great and at a weight i am excited being at. My health is fantastic, but my BMI needs work still. I am excited to keep going!

Good luck to you all and I hope you continuously find ways to make yourselves more healthy everyday!

Hi Cheri I use light hummus as it has no oil in it and I have it instead of beans on certain days. I usually have 1 to 2 tablespoons to use as a veggie dip. I gather that is okay because it is chick peas. Because i have issues with loosing weight I do not use any starches (bread)at this point as stated in the book however if you don’t he does say one serving a day.Ezekiel is my bread of choice to however it has been 7 weeks for me without any starches.

Hi, I just started this and have not even done a full week. So far it seems to be ok, not horribly hungry, a tad gassy, but that isn’t to bad either. I’ve found a pine-nut hummus and spicy 3 pepper hummus I LOVE!!! Can eat it on anything. So my question is; is hummus ok, should it be limited? And I know grains are somewhat limited, but what about Ezekiel bread? One slice daily? I love the bread toasted with a spread of the hummus, stacked with veggies–yum!

Michelle, No, they just come, some say it hereditary but no one in my family had them.
I am fine thank you I am just nervous because the one I still have is pretty big and when it passes it’s gonna hurt like crazy.

I just wanted to send out a heads up in hopes I may help prevent someone from suffering like I did.

~ @ KristyT sounds wonderful and kuddos to you too!!
~ @ LeslieM I hear you about what people say & do (includes some of my family too). I agree with KristyT I mention that I am focused on a more plant-based food journey and leave it at that.
~ @Rosemarie, where there other contributing health factors to the kidney stones? I am so sorry, you must be in pain. Hope you heal quickly, which you should I believe as your body tends to bounce back quicker. Thanks for the info too.
Maybe there is some medical info on Dr. Fuhrman’s webpage.

this is just a guide, if you eat them just be careful not to over eat them and you will be fine.
Good luck on the diet.. I love it, even with my limitations..
If you want something badly enough you will find way right?

Hello everyone! I have been trying to do ETL for a while now and think I am finally getting the hang of it. I got really burned out on salad and beans for lunch so switched to a hummus and greens wrap for lunch. I love to have a black bean burger and veggies for dinner. I have upped my walking to 4 miles most days of the week too..and thanks to supergranny i started the couch to 5k program. I can tell I have lost but cannot weigh myself yet because it discourages me so much when the scale does not move. I truly believe that ETL is the best way to lose weight and be healthy. I am definitely not a skinny minny yet but definitely working on it! : ) @LeslieM – everytime I even say the word vegan people cringe… I started saying recently that I am on a plant based diet and people just nod their head in approval now!

Leslie … I had a customer who constantly told me that I should be eating meat.
One day she cornered me in the grocery store and kept telling me how meat is good for me and that fresh fruit and veggies were sprayed and genetically modified blah blah blah. I finally had enough and said something like “so fruits and veggies are not good for me because of all the pesticides? well your cows are eating my veggies and passing those pesticides onto you.”
She turned so fast and walked away, I never heard her talk about it again.

I am not trying to scare anyone but you do not want kidney stones so when on this diet just make sure you do not eat unlimited of the foods that follow. And best advice is drink lots and lots of water to flush any that you may have already. Most people have stones but are flushed away with water it is when you consume to many foods hi in oxalate you get stones.
This is a sample of the foods you should be careful of, I can’t eat any of them since I have stones already.

Dried cranberries, spiced cashews, pickled red onion, and a tangy maple-mustard vinaigrette make this shredded Brussels Sprouts salad sparkle with flavor. Last week my husband and I had dinner with some friends at a local pub. Though most of the menu was your typical pub fare (or at least an American concept of it), it did […]

On December 1st, Blood Orange Review, an online literary journal at Washington State University, announced its newest edition, volume 8.2, was now live. That edition includes a poem of mine called “As If We Were Solid and Did Not Go On Forever.” This poem is about an experience I had over 20 years ago that […]